Three years ago, Bill Grigsby, an associate professor of sociology at Eastern Oregon University, developed a calendar project to raise awareness of hunger and food insecurity in the community.

The calendar is tailored for local K-12 schools and is part of a broader service-learning program called Haven from Hunger.
Anthropology and sociology students and faculty at EOU are involved.

"Our goals with the calendar are to help children think about hunger and household food insecurity to raise awareness more broadly in the community, and to strengthen local networks for problem solving," Grigsby said.

Students in Grigsby's social welfare practices class develop lesson plans around hunger and work with area teachers to help students creatively express their ideas on paper.
The most inspiring artwork is included in the calendars, which are sold to sustain the project.

"The community is part of our curriculum," Grigsby said.
"By working with the public, students learn the nature and scope of the program and develop management skills and the ability to organize community projects of their own after they leave Eastern."

With each year since the calendar's inception, Grigsby said more area teachers are viewing the calendar as part of their curriculum.

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Copies are available for $10 at Sunflower Books or by calling Grigsby at 962-3591.

Spearheaded by Bill Grigsby, assistant professor of sociology and students in his upper-level social welfare class, the calendar was designed by EOU senior Desarae Nawras with the assistance of Karyl Kramer, EOU's graphic artist.

Artwork in the calendar was selected from approximately 50 entries reviewed by a panel of judges.

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"For us the calendar not only helps to raise awareness of the problems of hunger and food insecurity in the community, it also helps us establish relationships with area schools and businesses," Grigsby said.

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"I'd like to see this become an event that children and teachers from all the schools in the valley will be excited about and look forward to every year, and one that local businesses and the community are willing to support," Grigsby said.

Nawras, a sociology major from St. Helens, knew right away that she wanted to get involved with the calendar because she wanted to help out in the local community.She estimates she spent close to 80 hours working on the project.